Boston Data Leaders Explore GenAI Governance Tactics at CDO Magazine Dinner

Top data leaders from Boston convened to discuss data governance in light of the rapid evolution and adoption of generative AI at CDO Magazine's Executive Boardroom Dinner February 8. The event featured a panel discussion on "How Governance in the Era of Gen AI is a Strategic Enabler," serving as a platform for insightful exchanges.

The panel speakers were:

• Krishna Valluru, Fidelity Investments Vice President of Advanced Data Analytics

• Barbara Latulippe, Takeda Head of Enterprise Data, CDO

• Suresh Martha, EMD Serono (Merck Germany subsidiary) Head of Data Driven Innovation & Analytics

The session was moderated by Dave Trier, ModelOp Vice President of Product.

Reflecting on the significance of the occasion, Steve Wanamaker, Founder and Publisher of CDO Magazine, remarks, "As data continues to reign supreme in shaping organizational strategies, it is imperative for leaders to navigate the complex terrain of governance, particularly in the context of emerging technologies like AI. The discussion shed light on how effective governance serves as a strategic enabler in harnessing the potential of GenAI."

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Sharing his experience, panel speaker Valluru says: “Connecting with senior leaders across different sectors in the Boston area is invaluable. Learning from peers and these interactions provides me with fresh perspectives and drives growth. GenAI governance is crucial.” Valluru adds, “We discussed the importance of GenAI governance, leveraging industry connections, embracing learning opportunities, and considering holistic enterprise strategies to protect our investments in this transformative technology.”

Speaker Latulippe shares her insights and takeaways:

• For the businesses to unlock the true potential of AI, they must first evaluate the AI-readiness of their data and take fast action to address any weaknesses. To be AI-ready, data must always be six things: accurate, relevant, accessible, authoritative, explainable, and complete.

• GenAI governance should be an expansion of current governance programs to ensure quality and explainability end-to-end from consumption to consumer. It is critical for the exploitation and industrialization of use cases that can benefit from GenAI capabilities such as problem-solving, content generation, conversational AI, content generation, and knowledge extraction that is responsible and ethical.

• Equally critical are the company’s data governance practices, which ensure that data remains compliant with regulations, ethics and compliance policies. An AI-ready strategy should encompass a robust data governance framework that maps out how data will be managed, who will be responsible for managing it, and how it will be secured

Offering his takeaways, Prem Swaroop, Dover Corporation Chief Data Officer, adds:

• “Takeda is clearly a trailblazer under Barbara (Latulippe) and her leadership in exploring GenAI. I liked her initiatives on creating an AI governance board, and keeping a running list of potential initiatives to keep the momentum.. There's a general consensus that data quality and governance is key to unlocking the potential of data and analytics.

• While GenAI might get all the fame, this is the year for CDAOs to get on the offensive on data products.

Sharing insights on applying GenAI in his industry, panel speaker Martha, says, “In navigating the frontier of GenAI in commercial healthcare, our foremost concern is not the technology's potential, but rather the ethical, privacy, and equity risks it poses.” He elaborates, “It is imperative to scrutinize how GenAI might inadvertently perpetuate biases, compromise patient data security, and exacerbate disparities in access to care. Vigilance in addressing these risks is paramount to harnessing GenAI's transformative power for the betterment of global health.”

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Summing up the event, Pete Foley, ModelOp CEO and Co-founder, says, “The most impressive part was the openness of the members and their willingness to share best practices within their organizations. I think the participation was by far the most interactive I've ever seen.”

Data executives attending the CDO Magazine Boston Executive Boardroom Dinner included:

Israel Abraham, MassMutual Head of Finance & Investment Management Tech & Data; Brian Brooks, Fidelity Investments Vice President, Data Strategy & Governance; Jane Chen, Analog Devices Sr. Director, Growth Analytics, Revenue Strategy & Operations; Chathuri Daluwatte, AstraZeneca Head, AI Diagnostics (Alexion AstraZeneca Rare Disease); Ashwini Ghogare, MilliporeSigma CEO & Head, AI & Automation in Drug Discovery; Vijayant Kumar, UnitedHealth Group Vice President; Barbara Latulippe, Takeda Head, Enterprise Data, Chief Data Officer; Brent Mahan, Moderna Sr. Director, Data Platform, Analytics & Governance; Suresh Martha, EMD Serono Head, Data Driven Innovation & Analytics; Arjun Mattangote, Fidelity Investments Head, Data Discovery Platform; Jennifer McGhee, MFS Investment Management Vice President, Sr. Director, Data Strategy & Governance; Cliona Molony, IDEXX Chief Data Officer, Vice President, R&D; Tasneem Nipplewala, MassMutual Head, Data & Security Enterprise Architecture; Bhagyesh Phanse, Starbucks Vice President, Analytics & Data Science; Alok Ranjan,  Analog Devices Senior Manager, Analytics Engineering; Kenneth Rispoli, Analog Devices Manager, Data Science & Digital Innovation; Brian Rotondo, The TJX Companies Vice President, Data & Analytics; Kartik Sakthivel, Limra Vice President & Chief Information Officer; Mamta Singh, Commonwealth of Massachusetts Deputy Chief Data Officer; Tarun Sood, American Century Investments Chief Data Officer; Prem Swaroop, Dover Corporation Chief Data & Analytics Officer; Krishna Valluru, Fidelity Investments Vice President, Advanced Data Analytics; Pete Foley, ModelOp CEO and Co-founder; Dave Trier, ModelOp VP of Product; Steve Wanamaker, CDO Magazine Publisher; Camille Prado, CDO Magazine Global Editor.